Unexpected Christmases
by storiesseldomtold
Summary: Regina spends her Christmas Eve at a "lonely people" dinner, as she calls it, to avoid spending it with Mary Margaret and her family. When she bumps into someone, her boring night changes into a rather interesting one. Christmas Outlaw Queen AU mini-fic
1. Chapter 1

This was not her idea of a fun Christmas. In fact, it wasn't her idea at all. Mary Margaret told her, even though she was definitely invited to spend Christmas Eve with her, David and little Neal, to give it a try.

"It could be fun, Regina! You get to meet new people and all have dinner together."

She scoffed, "Mary Margaret, please, I am not a charity case. I don't want to spend Christmas Eve with a group of shiny happy people I don't know."

Mary Margaret gave her a slightly pitiful smile, "Please Regina, do it for me. Who knows who you might meet? New friends –although nobody can replace me as your best friend." Regina tried to hold back a smile. "Or some other kind of new friends…", she said while moving her eyebrows up and down, obviously suggesting exactly what Regina didn't want her to suggest.

"Snow, stop that! You know I don't want to go down that road. How many times do I have to tell you?" she whisper-yelled, definitely irritated but not wanting to disturb the other costumers in the small coffee shop.

"Fine, okay, I rest my case. Instead, you get to spend your Christmas Eve with a lovesick couple and a cry-baby, while eating Chinese takeaway and watching children's cartoons and sugary sweet Christmas movies. If you can't see the charm in that, I would never understand." Snow said somewhat sarcastically.

Regina's face adopted a sullen expression. She thought about her most perfect Christmas four years ago: sitting by the fire with Daniel, on a blanket, while drinking wine and eating a couple of carefully selected French cheeses –which, of course, she knows everything about, after spending a semester studying in Paris. An evening so perfect with a man even more perfect. The memory almost brings her to tears, because the morning after was the day her Daniel died. He died while trying to save an elderly woman who had a car crash. Being a paramedic, he thought he could be a big help to a wailing, scared to death 75-year-old. He lay on his stomach, half in her turned car, and half on the ground. That way he didn't see the gasoline leaking. In the process of calling 911, the car exploded. Daniel died a hero. But Regina knows he wouldn't want her to be miserable. So she changed her mind.

"Okay, fine. I'll go to that stupid lonely-people-at-Christmas thing." Snow –that's what she called her, because winter was her favourite season and she still makes snow angels after the first decent snowfall– beamed: "Yay, you just made me even happier! Trust me, you will meet some nice people, I promise you."

Regina smacked her arm and teased: "But if any of them are weird or stalky or retarded or… God, there are so many negative things a person can be…"

"Yes, a judgy bitch being one of them" Snow said amusedly. Regina smacked her arm again, and if it was a little too hard, Snow should have known she had it coming.

So here she is. Sitting at a round table with 5 other people she has never seen before, who are pleasantly chatting with each other while practically ignoring her. She admits she is not being the most fun guest at her table. The three men, Killian, Archie and Graham (or was it William, Marty and Adam? No, she was right the first time. She thinks.), seem to be interested in the other two women at her table, Emma and Ruby. She was bored, felt she had nothing to contribute to the conversations. _I knew it, Mary Margaret_ , she thinks, _I should have just gone to your place for an irritating but un-awkward Christmas_. Because, well, about everything would be better than this place. Her eyes roam around the room, spotting everyone at the other tables also deep in conversation. She was sitting at the least interesting table, she was sure of it. After a few moments of staring at her empty plate, she decided to take a walk.

"Excuse me for a minute" she informed the others. No reply. What a surprise.

 **UMPH**

"Milady, I apologize! Are you alright?"

She heard an accented voice apologizing vehemently. She looked up from her place on the ground –because yes, he had just run into her and knocked her over and now Regina Mills was lying on the ground. He stretched out his hand to help up the woman with the bewildered look in her eyes.

"Please," he said, obviously affected by the unfortunate incident. Regina's mind came back to her and she stood up a little too fast, refusing to accept his hand. Her head turning –she would later blame it on the wine–, she was almost on the way back to her dear spot on the floor when she felt two strong hands settle on her waist.

"Oops, better watch out the floor doesn't reclaim you," he said chuckling. "Are you alright? You took quite the tumble. I'm so very sorry. Will you ever forgive me?"

Her head back to normal, she laughed and answered: "I'm fine. Thanks for not making it a hit-and-run. That would've been extra embarrassing."

"Well, I can't run into a beautiful woman without making sure that she's not injured."

"Good to know for you that I'm totally fine then."

"Most definitely, milady."

He gave her the most dazzling smile she had ever seen, complete with dimples and shiny eyes. It was only then that she noticed he hadn't let go of her waist.

"You can stop applying pressure to the wound on my waist, because there isn't one", she said smiling.

He immediately removed his hands and Regina was suddenly sad by the lack of warmth. "My apologies, I just had to make sure, you know?" he teased. "I will let you continue your stroll. I hope to see you on the dancefloor later tonight."

Instantly excited, she told him to keep an eye out for her, since he was the first non-boring person she had encountered this evening.

"I certainly will", he said with a wink.

An hour later, she was yet to spot the dimpled stranger from earlier that evening. She hadn't seen him sitting at one of the other tables in the room. She wondered who he was. Her question would soon be answered when the room next to the dining hall was opened and the dancefloor was ready to be danced on. She left her tablemates behind –because would they really miss her? No, they wouldn't– and walked into the room, where a live band started playing Jingle Bells.

She was just starting to judge their choice of song –maybe she was a judgy bitch– when she heard a familiar voice say "I want to dedicate this stupid Christmas song to a beautiful woman I met today through a stupid run-in in the hallway. You know who you are", he said into the microphone while finding her eyes in the growing crowd and smiling.

Regina's cheeks reddened a little. She went to the bar to occupy a stool from where she could see her dimpled singer perfectly –wait, no, when did he become hers? She didn't even know his name–. She ordered a vodka-martini and stayed on that stool the entire night, watching the band. Or one particular member of the band…

Two hours later the band were replaced by a DJ. She stayed on her stool because she had a feeling someone was expecting her to still be there.

"Didn't see that coming, did you?" she heard behind her. The Brit approached her with that same handsome smile.

"Well hi there. I have to admit, I _did_ not see that coming. I really liked it, you have a nice voice."

"Why, thank you, milady."

They smiled at each other in silence. Not quite an awkward silence, but they couldn't stay quiet for much longer.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" she blabbed. He looked at her in surprise. Fearing she had been too forward, she started: "I'm sorry, I shou–"

"Yes. Let's get out of here."

They walked the dark, rumbling streets of the city, arm in arm, happily asking and answering questions about their lives. His name was Robin, hers was Regina. He moved here from Sherwood, England when he was nineteen years old to pursue a study at the city's renowned cookery school, she has lived here her entire life, was a city girl at heart. He had finished his education but has never acted on it, instead he was the lead singer in a cover band; she had studied to become an architect and that is also what she became, one of the most respected in town. His favourite colour was green, hers was red. He remarked that he had already guessed after looking at her figure-hugging red dress and fiery red lips. They both agreed on a favourite food: lasagne. She told him she makes a mean one, and that he should come over and have it one day. He gladly agreed.

They arrived at a 24/7-diner where they were being served by a waitress they suspected would prefer being at home on Christmas Eve. So they didn't say anything when she seemed a little snarky. They drank coffee –decaf for him, regular for her, because caffeine didn't affect her at night: a strange quirk Robin envied– and ate cheesecake. They sat next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, and if Robin's hand was to slide over to hers under the table, Regina would be the last to complain.

He insisted he walk her home, since it was four in the morning and the streets, though deserted, could be dangerous at this time of night. She declined at first, but he stayed insistent, so who was she to deny them a little more time together?

"I had really good time tonight, Regina", he said, when they approached her building.

"Me too. Well, from the moment you were there. The people at my table were quite the boring crowd. At least they found themselves interesting."

He snorted, "Well, I found –find– _you_ very interesting." He wraps an arm around her shoulders for the remaining distance.

"Aren't you the charmer", she teases while resting her head in the crook of his neck. Refusing to let go of him just yet, she suggests he come up for a nightcap, although it's almost the morning.

"As much as I would love that, I don't think I would be able to control myself while sitting on a sofa with you so close, milady. I plan to properly woo you, so this evening –well, night–, I am going to say goodbye to you with simply a kiss, if you'll let me", he said while looking at her lips.

She presses her lips together and wets them with her tongue, watching him as he does the same. The languid looks are killing her, and because she can't handle the anticipation any longer, she closes the distance between them and their lips meet. Her one hand finds residence at the back of his neck, gently pulling his hair, while her other roams his back. He places his hands on her hips and tugs her closer to him. He teases her lips with his tongue, asking for entrance, which she gladly allows. She pulls him closer while deepening the kiss until there's not an inch between them anymore. When they part after a few minutes, they look into each other's eyes and Regina laughs shyly while turning her head away from him.

"You mustn't do that, let me see your beautiful face", Robin tells her, taking her chin in his hand gently and turning her face towards him. "Never hide from me, milady."

She kissed him again, a chaste kiss. He broke the kiss and told her, "I really hope to see you again, milady."

"Maybe…" she teased, knowing that in this moment there was nothing else she wanted more.

He pouted, "You wound me, woman!" She laughed.

"I'm kidding. I would love to see you again, Robin. We'll set something up after New Year's?"

"That's fine with me," he kissed her one last time, while both of them smiled into the kiss. They parted for the night: "I'll hear from you soon, beautiful creature", she heard him call behind her.

She smiled at him and turned around, entering her building while whispering to herself: "You most certainly will."


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Looks like I changed my mind on this one and decided to add another couple of chapters to turn it into a mini-fic! Also I was bored out of my mind because I wasn't feeling like studying for my exams, so I figured I could just get some very useful writing done. I hope you enjoy!_

 _Also thank you to GinaScrive for your nice comment!_

* * *

Chapter 2

A couple of hours after their pleasant walk around town the night before Christmas, Robin couldn't help himself. Although he arrived at his apartment at five in the morning, he wasn't tired one bit. Instead, he was constantly thinking about the beautiful woman who entered his life earlier that evening. He gasped, _shit, I forgot to tell her about Roland. How could he forget about his precious little hobbit? Would she mind? Do you even tell a woman about that on the first date? Hell, that wasn't even a proper date_. He really liked her, and he prayed she would be okay with it. No, he would definitely not find any sleep tonight. Luckily, he didn't have any gigs planned the next day, and Marian had Roland for Christmas.

Regina's alarm went off at 9AM. Groaning, she slammed her alarm clock shut. Good thing she set before she went to dinner, otherwise she wouldn't have thought of it and wouldn't have woken up on time to prepare dinner for her mother. Hooray, Mother was coming. She groaned even harder, thinking about the uncomfortable day she was about to have. Suddenly, her phone beeped: a text. She grabbed it and a smile appeared on her tired face.

 _Good morning, beautiful :-)_

 _Hey there, handsome. Shouldn't you be sleeping?_

She turned around for another few minutes, phone in hand.

 _I can't sleep, I was thinking about a special lady xx_

 _Oh, really? And who might that be? ;-)_

 _She has silky raven hair…_

 _Hm, doesn't sound familiar x_

 _She has the most intense brown eyes I want to drown in…_

 _Drown in brown eyes? I hope you like dying in mud._

Shit, he was creating a moment.

 _I was joking, please continue. I would love to hear more about her :-)_

 _You are so funny.  
Most importantly, she has the most beautiful smile the population of planet Earth has ever had the pleasure to see._

 _Wow, she must be quite something then. You're a real charmer. I had a great time last night xxx_

 _Me too, milady. I would love to see you again._

 _I have to spend the day with my Mother, I'm afraid, but maybe tomorrow?_

 _I can't tomorrow, gig in the evening and have to set up in the afternoon. What about Sunday?_

 _That's fine. I have some cooking to do now. Talk to you soon? Xx_

 _You will ;-) have a lovely day xxx_

She chuckled and went to the bathroom to get dressed. She actually felt like she could get through the day.

 **DING DONG!**

Regina rushed out of the kitchen, while throwing her apron over a chair ("That's not the proper way to welcome your guests, Regina, you're not a scullery maid.") Mother had arrived. Everything was ready: the table was set –a Christmas for two, how cosy–, the lasagne was in the oven and would be ready in half an hour, and the chocolate mousse was setting in the fridge.

She buzzed her mother in and opened the door.

"Regina, you shouldn't just buzz me in without asking who I am first. It could have been a thief or a tramp."

Regina sighed and faked a smile, "A happy Christmas to you too, Mother. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine, dear. How are things with you? Did you get a promotion yet?" Cora said while crossing the threshold.

"No, not yet, mother. You do know the only promotion I can get is the CEO-position? I already am the head architect."

"So you could do better? Maybe you should try harder."

Regina sighed audibly, "Let me just take your coat. Make yourself comfortable, there are appetizers on the coffee table."

This was going to be a long day. A very long day indeed.

Cora actually complimented her on the lasagne. The rest of the conversation didn't go as smoothly.

"You look a little heavier around the hips, dear. Have you gained weight? You know the holidays are bad for you." Cora remarked, falsely.

"Not that I know of, Mother."

"What _did_ you do last night? Did you stay with Mary Margaret and her irritating husband again?"

Oh no, this was possibly the most awkward conversation she was ever going to have.

"No, I actually went to a Christmas dinner somewhere in town," Regina said, deliberately vague.

"Oh, did you now? With whom? Colleagues? Friends?"

"I went alone, if you must know. It was a special dinner, set up to meet new people."

Cora laughed, "Oh dear, you went to a dinner for lonely people? I didn't know you were that desperate."

That's exactly what it was, yes. A dinner for lonely people. Regina had made up the best euphemism she could think of, but unfortunately, it didn't work.

"It was actually a lot of fun. I met, uhm, a bunch of new friends."

 _Nicely exaggerated, Regina._

"I'm glad you're expanding your horizons, dear. It's about time you get over that silly boy."

And that's when it hits her: it was the anniversary of Daniel's death. She hadn't thought about it yet. But unlike other years, when she would flee to the bathroom to cry a bit, she sat up straight and blabbed: "I actually met someone. His name is Robin."

"Have you now? And what does this Robin do?"

Of course she would only be interested in his money, even though Regina made enough money to provide for herself. Daniel wasn't good enough, being a paramedic ("Regina, if you must pick someone in medicine, at least pick a doctor.") She had a feeling her mother would disapprove of Robin even more.

"Robin is a musician, he sings and plays guitar in a band."

Cora laughed sardonically: "He is a musician? You can most definitely entertain me on Christmas, Regina."

"Mother, frankly, I don't care about what you think. My happiness should be enough for you."

"And where did you meet exactly? Please don't tell me you hang out in shady pubs downtown after your hours?"

"I met him at the dinner last night. He played there."

Now Cora dropped all of her boundaries –if she still had any– and started laughing at Regina out loud. "You met him last night? Honey, I'm sorry to break it to you, but that doesn't mean anything. That's like getting a package delivered by the UPS guy and then telling everyone you're in a relationship with him!"

She couldn't take it anymore. "Mother, I would like you to get your things and leave. I don't want to see you anymore."

Cora laughter died out, "Regina, don't exaggerate. We haven't even finished our food."

"It's done, Mother. Get out."

"No dear, I wou–"

"GET. OUT. NOW." Regina yelled. She got up and walked briskly towards the door, Cora followed hesitantly. She took her mother's coat and purse and shoved them in her arms. "And don't bother ever coming back here." She led her mother out the door and slammed it shut.

"This is preposterous…" she still heard her mother say in the distance, clacking heels getting further and further.

She turned her back to the door and let her body fall against it. She slid down until she was sitting on the ground and started sobbing. How did she ever deserve this kind of mother?

Robin had slept until six in the evening.

 _Way to mess up the sleep schedule, eh!_

He got dressed and fell onto the couch. He checked his phone to see two missed calls from his parents back in England. They would have been sleeping by now. He'll call them back tomorrow. He sent Regina a text to ask how her Christmas with her mother was going, while walking over to his movie shelf to pick one. Since it was Christmas, he wanted to stay in theme and picked The Nightmare before Christmas, his favourite Christmas movie (he knew the words to all the songs, even sung This Is Halloween in all the different voices). He ordered some pizza and drank a beer while watching the movie.

Two hours later, stomach full and heart filled with Christmassy warmth, he checks his phone again. Still no response from Regina.

 _Maybe I should give her a call? That's not too forward, is it?_

He figured her mother would have left by now, so he grabbed his phone and called her.

"Hello?"

He heard a very fragile voice on the other end of the line, so different from the voice he loved listening to yesterday.

"Regina, is everything okay?" he asked immediately.

"Yes, it's fine. I was just sleeping."

But she wasn't "just fine", he could hear it.

"No, you're not fine, you don't sound right. What happened? You can talk to me, you know."

"My mother happened. She's just always so vicious and I knew I shouldn't care because she doesn't manage my happiness or anything, but she knows just the right ways to hurt me."

"Regina, do you want me to come over? I don't have anything else to do, I would love to come and comfort you", he offered.

"Robin, no, I don't want you seeing me like this. You probably have better things to do."

"I really don't, I miss you, and I want to be there for you. Please let me come over?"

After a few seconds of silence, he heard her say: "Fine, you know where it is."

That was his cue to leave. He grabbed his coat and rushed out the door.

"Stay where you are, sweetheart, I'm coming."

When he entered her apartment, he noticed her pale face and teary eyes and immediately enveloped her in a hug. "Whatever she said, I'm sure it's not true. You are splendid, Regina."

She pulled back and looked at him, "Well, that's actually something for you to decide."

He frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Let's go sit down", they walked over to the living room and he noticed the cold food-filled plates still on the table, "Do you want something to drink? Cold lasagne maybe?"

He chuckled, "No, let's just sit down and tell me what's bothering you." He took her hands in his.

"Well," she sighed "Mother was being her pesky self and she brought, uhm, something up that I didn't want to hear, so to show her that I was over it, I told her about… you." She looked at him, awaiting his response. When he didn't answer immediately, she continued, "But when I told her I only met you yesterday, she just started laughing at me and saying that I mentioning you was not relevant since we only just met, implying that this, whatever this is, would be over soon."

He was staring at their joined hands, his expression somewhat unreadable. He looked up at her and she spotted a hint of a smile starting to appear on his face.

"So I wanted to ask you what your intentions are concerning… us", she asked hesitantly.

His face now carried a full-on smile. He gently took her head in his hands and kissed her fiercely, immediately pushing his tongue against her lips, asking for entrance. They deepened the kiss while Regina moved to sit on his lap and Robin moved his fingers through her smooth hair. Her hands roamed his muscled arms and chest while Robin's hands found a place to rest just above her butt. She broke the kiss and rested her forehead against his.

"As much as I liked that, I would still like a verbal answer to my question", she teased.

"Regina, if you'll let me, I want to take you on countless dates, spend millions of hours with you, because you are amazing. We haven't even known each other for a day, but I'm sure that, after last night, I would love to learn more about you until there are no things unsaid between us. You are stunning, in every way, milady."

She was touched by his words, incredibly so. "I'm glad to hear that, otherwise my mother would be right and I really wanted to prove her wrong this time. Because I really like you too", she said with a big smile on her face.

They settled on the couch with Robin's arm around her waist. He smiled into Regina's hair, while breathing her in. Sleep quickly claimed both of them.

At last, Christmas turned out to be a good day.

* * *

 _A/N: I LOVED writing Cora! I hope you liked it to. Please review! I'm a new writer, so I would really love some feedback._


	3. Chapter 3

_Here you go, the third chapter! As you may have noticed, the rating has gone up to M :)_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 3

Robin groaned, his back hurt like hell. He prepared to stretch out his arms but something was stopping him. He opened one of his eyes slightly and the beams of early sunshine slipping through the curtain allowed him to see what – or rather who – was lying on the couch with him. A smile appeared on his sleep-charged face when he saw Regina peacefully sleeping in his arms. He removed his free arm from her waist and caressed her cheek after brushing some loose strands of hair out of her face.

God, she was so beautiful.

He started peppering her jaw with tiny kisses. A hint of a smile appeared on her face. She chuckled when he started nipping at her earlobe and turned in his embrace.

"Wow, my back hurts," she grunted, kneading her shoulders.

"Hold on, milady, let me do that for you." He helped her up and placed her between his legs, starting to massage her shoulders.

"Hmm, that feels so good. Did you sleep okay? I probably obstructed the blood flow to your hand."

"No need to worry about me, my love. I was all better when I saw your beautiful face."

"Kiss ass."

She removed his arms from her shoulders and placed them around her waist, humming and leaning into him. Yes, she could spend all day like this.

A few minutes later, she asked, "What time is it actually?"

Already on his way back to dreamland, he hummed an almost inaudible "Dunno, m'lady".

She removed herself from his embrace and got up to retrieve her phone from the kitchen cabinet.

"Oops, it's already two in the afternoon."

Robin bounced off the sofa, "Shit, I'm supposed to be at tonight's venue at four and I still have go to John's to pick up our stuff," he rambled while lacing his shoes.

She went up to him, "Hey, it's okay, you still have two hours. I'll make coffee. Do you want some breakfast? Or is it lunch? Anyway, do you want food? I think I may have some bread and –"

Robin interrupted, "No, that's fine, although a cup of coffee wouldn't hurt."

"Great," she said with a smile.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Robin left her with a lingering kiss and the promise of a phone call tomorrow. ("Because it will probably be very late and you need your sleep, my love.")

She was so glad she got to open up to him yesterday, it had relieved her immensely. And now, for the first time in years, she felt giddy, felt like giggling, which was very unlike her. She felt happy.

Her phone rang. Assuming it was Robin, she picked up without looking at the caller ID.

"Hey, forgot something?"

"Uhm, no? Regina, what are you talking about?" she heard a voice, which was very much not Robin's, say.

"Snow, hey. It's nothing. What's up?" She tried to manage the situation, but failed.

"No, you're not allowed to change the subject. Who did you think I was?"

"Uh… I thought it was… Mother! Yes, she stayed the night yesterday." She couldn't even believe it herself.

"No, you didn't. I'm coming to you right now, okay?"

"No, don't! I still have to shower, I ca–"

"You still have to shower?! You, Regina, who is up and running at 8AM, still have to take a shower?"

"Yes, Mary Margaret. Let's meet at four at our usual coffee place, okay?"

"Fine. I'm preparing myself for something juicy, okay?"

She couldn't exactly deny that it _was_ something juicy. "See you at four."

Rolling her eyes at Snow's faint "Yaa", she put down the phone and shuffled towards the bathroom.

* * *

"So who is he?" Snow asked, only seconds after they sat down. "Come on, Regina!"

"Slow down! Let's just order our drinks first."

Snow immediately signalled the waiter, "Hi, one double espresso and a vanilla latte, please."

She turned to Regina, "Okay, that's settled. Now, speak."

"Okay, that was fast. Uhm, so I went to that dinner on Christmas Eve and as I expected, there was not one guest who was even remotely interesting."

"That's a shame, I really thought it would be fun. What happened after?" she asked, a big smile gracing her pale face.

"Will you let me finish? So, after dinner, the ballroom opened and there was a live band and turns out I had run in to the lead singer earlier that evening. I watched them play all night, and after that we walked around town for a bit."

Regina looked up at Snow, who was just staring at her, sporting the biggest smile she had ever seen.

"Oh my God, Regina! I'm so happy for you!" she practically screamed, all eyes turned to her.

Regina slapped her wrist, "Snow, easy. We're going to get kicked out of here."

"I'm just so happy for you! I told you it would happen again someday, you just had to have hope."

Regina rolled her eyes at that.

"Well, what's his name, what's he like?"

"Okay, where do I start…?"

Regina continued to tell Snow about Robin ("That's a good name." "Ooh, he's British? Wow, that's great.") To say she was excited would have been an understatement.

* * *

Robin and Regina met the next day. They spent their afternoon strolling along the Christmas market, drinking hot apple cider and simply enjoying each other's company. And if they would stop in the middle of the ice rink for a tight hug or a warm kiss, the other skaters would just have to deal with it.

After having dinner at a new Italian place on Second Street, Robin invited Regina for a nightcap at his place for a change. She gladly accepted.

"Would you like some coffee? Wine maybe?" he asked.

"Some scotch would be nice, if you have some."

"You keep surprising me, darling," he said with a smile. "We could watch a movie, if you want to."

"Yeah, sure, why not?"

Robin put _Elf_ on and settled on the sofa with an arm around Regina, who was resting against his chest.

Ten minutes later, the movie and their drinks long forgotten, they lay on the sofa, passionately kissing each other. Regina wraps her arms around Robin's neck and turns them, putting her on top.

 **CLACK**

One of their glasses fell to the ground. They interrupted their kiss to look at the glass.

"I'll clean it up later," Robin smirked.

They resumed their kissing, getting hungrier by the second, heat rushing through their bodies. Robin placed his hands on Regina's ass, kneading her firm cheeks, while Regina started riding against his growing erection. She broke the kiss, grabbed him by his shirt and sat them up, making quick work of his buttons. Meanwhile, Robin's hands slipped under her shirt to roam her soft skin, stopping at the back of her bra. He stopped and they looked up at each other, Regina nodding at his silent request. He unclasped her bra, took her shirt off and threw botch garments somewhere behind him – he didn't care where, as long as they were off her. Throwing away his own shirt after them, he took a minute to look at Regina; naked, glorious breasts right in front of him.

"You are magnificent."

He immediately dove in and pushed her back against the seat, taking her right nipple in his mouth, teasing and sucking, while Regina's moaning became loader and loader.

He interrupted, Regina whimpering at the loss of warmth, "Let me hear you, darling."

He licked her nipple, went up to her jaw to suck at her pulse point – this was going to leave a mark, but in that moment, neither of them cared. He claimed her mouth in another searing tongue-filled kiss, Regina's throat letting out a moan. But then she pulled back.

"As much as I'm enjoying this, I think it's too early for us to have sex," she panted, out of breath from the hot kisses.

"If you'll allow me, I know a number of other ways to pleasure you, my love," he smirked.

She smiled and propped herself up to meet his lips once again. Kneading her breast, he travelled down her body, tracing her soft skin with mouth and tongue. He loosened her belt and unbuttoned her jeans, pulling them down in one smooth move. He then started kissed his way up again along her shin, kneecap, thigh. When he reached her upper thigh, he could feel the throbbing warmth radiating through her panties. Dipping his finger inside, he groaned.

"Regina, you're so wet."

She was enjoying this too much, simply replying with a hum and a groan of her own. He removed her panties in one swift move, licking his way up to her groin again. She was pounding down there, anticipating what he would do next. That's when she felt his tongue slide between her slick folds, licking and kissing. He sucked at her clit next, making her moan even louder.

"Robin, yes… Ju– just like that."

He continued to suck, while dipping one finger inside of her. She arched her back and started riding against his hand, making him add another finger. He started pumping at a slow pace, his mouth leaving her clit to travel up to her left breast, giving her nipple the attention it so desired.

"Oh my – Robin, yesss, harder," she hissed.

He moved even higher up, where his lips found hers in a hot, open-mouthed kiss, tongues tangling and breaths mingling. She could taste herself on his tongue, which drove her even madder.

While Robin started pumping more vehemently, Regina missed the friction on her clit and moved her hand from Robin's neck. But he would have none of that. Placing her hand back, his thumb started rubbing her clit, while all the more pumping in and out of her.

"I – I'm close, so – close," she whimpered.

He moved his mouth back to her left nipple and it was exactly that addition that took her over the edge, coming, _hard_ , with Robin's name rolling over her tongue.

Robin slowed his pumping, with Regina panting underneath him, riding out her orgasm.

Unable to move her shaky legs, she pulled Robin down to lie on top her, him falling clumsily next to her. They turned their heads to each other and she met his lips in a searing kiss.

"Thank you, that was amazing." She cooed.

"No need to thank me, I enjoyed that as much as you. Well, maybe not as much," he smirked, "but I loved making you come like that."

Her hand moved to his groin, feeling his firm erection, flicking her thumb over his tip through his pants.

"I can do something about that, you know?" she said coyly.

"You don't have to, my love," he protested.

She smirked, "But I want to. Just lay back and enjoy."

He gave her one last kiss and laid his head down on the armrest.

She licked her way down his muscled chest, tracing her tongue over his abs.

She made quick work of his belt, undoing him of all things in the way. Removing his boxers, his erection sprang free, and boy, was she impressed. He wasn't especially long, but he was deliciously thick, and Regina started pondering about the way he would perfectly fill her some time down the road. But now it was her turn. She started gently stroking his length, flicking her thumb over his tip, wiping away his pre-cum. She spit in her hand and started pumping a little more intensely to make him hard through and through. Regina licked his tip, making him elicit a luscious moan which encouraged her to take him in fully – because she needed that, hadn't done this in a long time. She bobbed her head up and down, stroking her tongue along his length. Robin placed his hand in her hair, groaning.

"Re – Regina, I'm going to come. It's okay now," he groaned after some time.

She interrupted the pumping for a second and winked at him, "No, it's fine, I don't mind."

Those last few sucks did the trick and he released himself inside of her mouth, crying out her name. She swallowed and finished with a few more lazy pumps. She let herself fall on his chest then, both of them naked and completely sated.

A couple minutes and lazy kisses later, Regina got up from Robin's chest.

"I should get going then."

But before she could go to fetch her clothes, he grabbed her hand.

"You don't have to leave. Why don't you stay the night? You can borrow a shirt of mine to sleep in."

Already reluctant to go, she shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay, why not?"

They readied themselves and climbed into bed together, his arm encircling her waist.

"I had an amazing time again today," he hummed into her neck.

She smiled, "Me too, Robin."

Turning her head, she captured his mouth in one last sweet kiss for the night.

"Good night."

"Sleep tight, my love."

* * *

 _A/N: So, I hoped you liked it! And Robin still hasn't told Regina about Roland yet. Hopefully that won't cause any trouble :)_

 _Please review!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: This is it, the last chapter! I hope you like the ending. Thank you for your attention :)_

* * *

Chapter 4

Days had passed since Regina and Robin spent a cosy night together. They had woken up – much to their dismay, but Regina had work to do –, and showered together. Robin had massaged the shampoo into her hair gently while Regina had washed his body with his pine-scented soap. They had come out of the shower, Regina now smelling of him – not that she had been complaining, far from it. They had eaten breakfast together and Robin had led her to the door, waving her off with a lingering kiss.

But now they haven't seen each other for several days and it was killing them. With New Year's Eve coming up, Regina hoped that Robin would invite her to spend it with him, but he hadn't even attempted to ask her out. She put her thoughts aside and tried to focus on the sketches for her new project.

Robin on the other hand was almost constantly thinking about New Year's Eve. He was going to have Roland that night, but he felt bad for not having asked Regina to celebrate together. _I can't invite her and then, when she comes, say: SURPRISE! I have a son. Didn't expect that, did you?_ He decided he would not invite Regina and just hope that she wouldn't bring it up herself. Tomorrow was the 31st, he couldn't tell her now, just to get it over with, so he would wait until after New Year's. _What a terrible idea…_

* * *

"Don't you think it's weird he hasn't asked me?"

Snow shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, you have been together for, what, a week? Five days? Maybe he isn't as serious about this as you are."

"No, that's not it, I know it. We've already established that we're in a relationship now," Regina said while rolling some dough around the seasoned minced meat. She was helping Mary Margaret to make some snacks for tonight: Snow's parents were coming over to ring in the new year together. They had insisted for Regina to join them, but she had politely declined.

"Maybe he hasn't asked you because he's expecting you to just come tonight?"

Regina frowned and thought about it. That could be true…

"You know what? I'm just going to go to his apartment tonight. What could go wrong?"

* * *

At noon, Robin jumped into his car, ready for the three-hour drive to Roland. He hasn't seen him since Thanksgiving, which was more than a month ago. Roland lived with his ex-wife Marian and her new husband, Roger. Roger was an electrical engineer, which was "much better than you'll ever be". He had been mad for a long time after she left him for mister big shot, but he was over it now, most definitely with Regina in his life. But he didn't see Roland as much as he'd like. Marian didn't like giving up any time with him, and she felt like Robin wouldn't have enough time for Roland anyway, "with his gigs lasting until the middle of the night and the numerous women probably residing in his bed". She had no idea what life was really like. One gig a week, maybe two if he was lucky. (He should really find a job as a chef somewhere, he needs to earn some real money.) And about the women residing in his bed? Just the one.

When he arrived, Roland was sitting in front of the living room window, anxiously waiting for his papa to arrive. Robin walked up to the front door, but before he could ring the bell, Roland had opened the door and jumped into his arms.

"Papa! I missed you!" he said while nuzzling his nose into Robin's neck. "I missed you too, Roland." He hugged him tightly.

"Roland, I have a present for you. Santa also brought me something to give to you." He handed him the sloppily wrapped gift, but Roland was excited nevertheless. "You can rip it, if you want." Robin said with an encouraging smile.

"Oh, papa, I love it! Thank you, Santa!" he said to the sky. It was a Disney jigsaw puzzle of Robin Hood, Roland's favourite movie – for obvious reasons.

"That's nice of you." He heard a dry familiar voice coming from above them. He got out of his crouching position, "Marian. Merry Christmas."

"You too. Come in for a second, I'll get his stuff."

Roland showed him the presents he got from Santa: some drone, a new bike, lots of video games… He didn't need all of those things, he probably didn't even like the drone or the video games. Roland was an outdoorsy child: he loved building forts and playing hide-and-seek in the woods. He was going to spend all of his time riding that bike, Robin was sure of it. _He spends all of his time with her, and she doesn't even know what he likes._

While Marian was descending the stairs with Roland's bag, she called for him to come up to say goodbye to Roger.

"So, Robin, how are you? Have you found a real job yet?"

He rolled his eyes, "Marian, please, that's not your concern. Not anymore."

"But whose is it then? You don't care about that, you're just living off your trust fund. You know that doesn't last!" He did know. He knew he had to find a real job, but in that moment, he was just too stubborn to admit it.

"I'll be okay," he mumbled.

"Robin, you don't have anybody to take care of you."

"As a matter of fact, I do."

Her eyes widened, "Oh really? Has one of your girls decided to stay?"

"Marian, you don't know anything about my life. Why do you even think there are various women occupying my bed? Because I'm in a band? No! Her name is Regina and she's an architect."

Her features softened, "Oh wow, where did you find her?"

"That doesn't matter. I'm very happy with her," he said while smiling to himself.

"I hope she can get you back on your feet. Is Roland going to meet her tonight then?"

He got pale and stammered, "Well… I, uh, haven't told her about him yet."

"What?! Robin, that's not the way it works. You have a child, that's one of the first things you tell a potential new love interest."

Roland came running down the stairs, "I'm ready, papa!"

Robin took his bag from Marian. She leaned into him, "Tell her, Robin. You can't screw this up."

 _I know._

* * *

She put on the new dress she bought a few weeks ago: a tight black top with a wide silver skirt. It's not what she would usually wear, but she loved it, and she hoped Robin would too. But what she hoped for even more, was for him to be happy she showed up at his place unexpectedly. She slid her heels on, put her coat on and grabbed her purse, and made her way to Robin's apartment.

When she arrived, someone just exited through the front door and she slipped inside: this would be an even bigger surprise. She smiled to herself, though cautiously, still hoping she wouldn't be intruding. She was standing in front of his door now. _I can still get back and get comfy in my couch…_ No, she was doing this.

 **Knock knock knock**

The door opened, but she didn't see anyone.

"Hello!" she heard a young boy's voice say.

She looked down and saw a little brown-haired curly head, with dimples. _I would recognise those dimples anywhere._

"Hi there, who are you then?"

"I'm Roland and I'm this many," he said excitedly while holding up four fingers.

"Hey Roland, my name is Regina. Do you live here?"

"No, I live with my momma, but I'm here for tonight, because the new year is coming."

"Roland, what are you doing? Don't open the door withou–", Robin stopped talking when he spotted Regina standing outside.

"Re- Regina, what are you doing here?" he stammered.

She blushed a little, obviously ashamed, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have shown up here unexpectedly," she said, while hurrying towards the elevator. She felt a strong hand grab her wrist. "Don't leave, please. Come in. You're here now anyway."

She turned around and entered his apartment, curious brown eyes staring at her.

* * *

"Roland, this is Regina," he said, seated on the couch next to his son, and across from Regina. He continued, "Regina is my girlfriend."

"Are you going to get married?" he asked innocently.

Regina gasped, "No honey, we're not. Not yet, at least." She looked at Robin, who was smiling at her.

"Roland, why don't you go play with your teddy bear for a minute? I need to talk to Regina."

"Okay," and he went running to the tree.

Robin moved to the other couch and sat next to Regina. "So, you have a son you failed to tell me about? Is he that unimportant to you?"

He spoke immediately, "Of course not! I was just quite frightened that I would scare you off by telling you about him, but well, that was insanely stupid of me. But then we got more serious, and I hadn't found a good moment to tell you. I'm so sorry, my love, I should have told you much sooner."

She took his hands in hers, "It really was stupid of you to wait this long, and it was quite a shock to find out about him like this."

"I understand if you–"

"No, Robin, stop it. I don't mind him, on the contrary, I love it." Robin looked up and smiled while he brought his head closer to hers, claiming her lips in a searing kiss.

He broke the kiss several moments later, "Oh, milady, I'm so happy you're fine with this."

She shook her head, "It's great, it really is, I love it that you have a son, I… Because…"

He angled his head, "Because what?"

It was almost a whisper, "Because I can't have children."

He enveloped her in a tight hug and she buried her head in the crook of his neck.

"You know, if and when the time comes, there are plenty of other ways to get children. Blood doesn't make you a parent, being a parent does; it doesn't matter in what way you become one."

She smiled through her tears, "You really don't mind dating a barren woman?"

He cupped her cheek, stroking her tears away, "Don't say that. My love, I don't mind one bit. You are amazing and unique and beautiful the way you are. You are everything I will ever need. Besides Roland of course." They both chuckled. "Of course."

The three of them spent a very entertaining night together, eating mini pizzas and pigs in a blanket, and playing charades – Robin was extremely bad at it, even little Roland did better. Roland had insisted on watching the ball drop on TV, but had already fallen asleep on the couch half an hour ago. There was still one minute to go, and Robin and Regina were sitting next to each other, enwrapped in each other. Regina got out of his embrace and looked at him, "I think it's going to be a good year."

He smiled at her lovingly, "I think so too."

"Should we wake him?" she asked while looking at Roland.

"No, he'll just groan a bit and fall back to sleep."

Ten, nine, eight…

"Oh, the countdown is starting," Regina said.

Seven, six, five…

"Do you really like that?" he questioned.

Four, three, two…

"Not one bit," she said, jumping into his arms again, pressing her mouth to his.

One.

"Happy New Year, milady," he mumbled against her eager mouth.

"Happy New Year. Now shut up and kiss me."

* * *

 **THE END**

 _A/N: Please review! Though I can't read them for now (some mistake on the website unfortunately). You can also send me a PM! Much love_


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